Brewers prepared to buy, doing background work on Gray and Quintana

[brewmann04]

I rather go for Hamels than Gray at this point

[3and2Fastball]

Here's a question on Gray. Gotta figure he's going to go for a bit less than Quintana now that the market for him has been set. What if Beane came to us ane said he's willing to work out a deal with us without any of our headline prospects (Brinson, Hader, Woodruff), but said Corbin Burnes was a non negotiable part of any deal with us for Gray. Would you be excited about that, or hesitant?

 

That is a great question and no way do I trade Burnes as part of a Gray trade. If I have to trade Burnes to get Stroman I do it, but for Gray? No chance

 

http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?player_id=669203#/career/R/pitching/2017/ALL

[MrTPlush]

I wouldn't be surprised if they value Burnes just as much or more than those guys. Keep in mind the Brewers "rankings" of their prospects probably doesn't flow the same as ESPN or any other outlets lists.

[brewmann04]

The few Pitchers again i keep if i was Stearns are Hadar and Burnes and F Perelta and Woodruff

[MrTPlush]

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears the Brewers are the most interested team in Sonny Gray.

 

I am confident if it happens Stearns gets the price he wants. He had the control to not push a Quintana trade instead letting the division rival get him. Not really concerned of him overpaying. Wish a controllable ace would come on the market...but pigs haven't flown over yet.

[Eye Black]

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears the Brewers are the most interested team in Sonny Gray.

 

I am confident if it happens Stearns gets the price he wants. He had the control to not push a Quintana trade instead letting the division rival get him. Not really concerned of him overpaying. Wish a controllable ace would come on the market...but pigs haven't flown over yet.

There certainly seems to be a lot of smoke building around the Brewers interest in Gray. It is a little difficult to imagine avoiding at least a slight overpay for Gray due to the number of teams showing interest. I will be pleasantly surprised if the Brewers acquire Gray without giving up Brinson or Hader. Despite the Gray rumors I still have a gut feeling the Brewers are going to make a slightly less conventional move for a starting pitcher.

[adambr2]

I'm torn on Gray. If you think he can make a significant difference and the price is right, it's fine by me. But don't do it just for the sake of making a big move. If you like 5 of Nelson, Anderson, Guerra, Davies, Woodruff, Suter, and Garza and don't see Gray as a major upgrade, there's no reason to do it.

[jjfanec]

I'm torn on Gray. If you think he can make a significant difference and the price is right, it's fine by me. But don't do it just for the sake of making a big move. If you like 5 of Nelson, Anderson, Guerra, Davies, Woodruff, Suter, and Garza and don't see Gray as a major upgrade, there's no reason to do it.

 

If Guerra was still good/healthy and Anderson was healthy maybe one could feel better about our rotation but there is no doubt a Nelson, Gray, Anderson playoff group is a lot better than adding the Guerra, Davies or Garza as the last of the 3.

 

That said I don't want to trade Brinson or Hader so there is probably no way to make this deal.

 

Gray gives the Brewers a rotation of Nelson, Gray, Anderson, and then guys like Burnes, Hader and Woodruff can battle Guerra and Davies for that last spot so that would be nice.

[brewmann04]

I can not see DS trading Brinson and Hader i like to add Woodruff Peralta and Burnes.

[trwi7]

I think I'd trade Hader as part of a package for Gray. Just hard for me to see him being able to start with the wildness.

[Brewcrewin07]

What if they want Davies as part of it, and it avoids them having to give up Brinson and/or Hader, would everyone be on board with that??

[paul253]

The way I see it is that the Brewers currently have at least five players who could/should be starting major league outfielders: Braun, Santana, Broxton, Brinson, and Phillips. Throw in Perez and that's another one. They are going to have to do something about this sooner rather than later. You cannot keep Brinson and Phillips in the minors for too long. So why not trade one of them and shore up a weakness in the rotation? I obviously prefer to keep Brinson as I believe he should be the starting CF next season, but if we trade him I also think Phillips could be the starter there. I'd try to make a deal for Gray with Phillips and Ortiz as the centerpieces. If Ortiz isn't enough then Hader, whom I view as a future bullpen arm. But I think the Brewers are in a unique position in which they can trade for a quality arm without mortgaging the future.

[trwi7]

What if they want Davies as part of it, and it avoids them having to give up Brinson and/or Hader, would everyone be on board with that??

 

I think everyone would be on board with that but Oakland would have no interest in Davies in place of Brinson or Hader.

[OnaBadger58]

I think I'd trade Hader as part of a package for Gray. Just hard for me to see him being able to start with the wildness.

Even if his wildness keeps him from the rotation, he would be (is) such a key piece to the bullpen. If Hader gets traded, I think it needs to be for the Stromans, Fulmers, and deGroms of the world.

[trwi7]

He's not that key to the bullpen. We've basically been using him every 3-5 days for 1 or 2 innings and we haven't been using him in really high leverage situations either. I think Blazek or Lopez could come up and while they may not have the sparkly ERA, do a similar job to what Hader is being asked to do.

[OnaBadger58]

I can kind of agree he is not a key piece right now, but that's through no fault of his own. Being a RP is new to him, so CC isn't going to toss him in the 8th of a one run game right away. As the season goes on, I would bet Hader will be pitching in the later innings.

[trwi7]

But he's not now, which isn't going to damage the bullpen that much, which is why you said you wouldn't trade him.

[brewmann04]

he done a good job when called on and not sure Lopez can do the same job

[OnaBadger58]

But he's not now, which isn't going to damage the bullpen that much, which is why you said you wouldn't trade him.

Sure right now there wouldn't be a big dent in the bullpen if he was traded, but again he has performed when his number is called. Please don't tell me you believe Lopez can be as effective as Hader is right now. And no that is not why I said I wouldn't trade him. I said he would be (is) a key piece meaning I wouldn't trade him because of where he is now and what his ceiling is.

[trwi7]

But he's not now, which isn't going to damage the bullpen that much, which is why you said you wouldn't trade him.

Sure right now there wouldn't be a big dent in the bullpen if he was traded, but again he has performed when his number is called. Please don't tell me you believe Lopez can be as effective as Hader is right now. And no that is not why I said I wouldn't trade him. I said he would be (is) a key piece meaning I wouldn't trade him because of where he is now and what his ceiling is.

 

He has performed when his number is called, despite the ridiculous number of walks but again, let's look at when he's been called upon.

 

Game 1: Brewers are losing 3-2 to the Diamondbacks. To his credit, he didn't allow a run in his inning keeping the Brewers well within striking distance.

 

Game 2: Came in with runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs and the Brewers leading 5-4. Threw two pitches and got out of the inning when Pina threw out Fowler trying to steal 2nd. He literally had to do nothing in this appearance despite pitching.

 

Game 3: Pitched a scoreless 6th and 7th inning a tie game. The Brewers would end up scoring two in the 9th to secure a win. Maybe Blazek or Lopez give up a run or more if they were asked to pitch two innings in this situation. Maybe they pitch two scoreless innings.

 

Game 4: Comes in with the Brewers trailing 7-2 and pitches two solid innings. Brewers end up losing 7-3.

 

Game 5: Pitches a scoreless 7th with the Brewers trailing 3-1. Brewers end up losing 3-1.

 

Game 6: Comes in with the Brewers trailing 3-2 and pitches two scoreless innings. Brewers end up tying the game at 3 but Knebel blows the game in the 8th and the Brewers end up losing 4-3.

 

Game 7: Pitches a scoreless inning with the Brewers leading 7-4. Brewers end up winning 8-4.

 

Game 8: Comes in with the Brewers trailing 3-2 after a rain delay. Gives up a homer to make it 4-2 but the Brewers come back and that's the only blemish in his three innings. This appearance might be difficult to replace but with Blazek starting in the minors, it's possible that he would be able to give us 3 innings if need be.

 

Game 9: Comes in with the Brewers leading 9-6 with a runner on 3rd and 1 out. Strikes out the two batters he faces in the 7th to keep the run off the board. Walks the leadoff hitter in the 8th and gets taken out. It's nice that he didn't allow the runner on 3rd to score with 1 out but even if he (or any other pitcher) did, it's still a two run lead.

 

Sorry, you're just going to have a really hard time convincing me that Hader isn't replaceable with the way he's being used now. That's not Hader's fault but he's also not an irreplaceable piece of the bullpen right now.

[OnaBadger58]

If he were to continue coming in games where the Brewers are losing, yes he is replaceable. Although I don't believe I'm assuming too much, but I'm assuming CC doesn't want to throw him in the deep end to see if he swims. With continued success and an increase in trust, comes higher leverage outings. I don't expect Arcia to bat 8th for the rest of his career either.

[A Swing and A Drive]

Saw Brett Phillips abs at Miller Park last night, and he just doesn't strike me as being an impact bat at the MLB level.

 

I think the Brewers should look to sell high on him and include him in a package for a quality starter. At this point, I'm hoping he'd be the 3rd piece in a significant deal.

[MrTPlush]

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/07/nl-news-rumors-braves-brewers-phillies-rockies.html?fv-home=true&post-id=97244

 

Sounds like the Brewers aren't sure what they want to do. Everyone keeps waiting for reality to come, but instead we are going on an absolute tear. Are we a team contending because of weak competition or are we a legit contender? If we are a force to reckon with I am betting Stearns wants a more major move. It's just hard to commit to that when we are led by people with little track record.

[PlayerHader]

You just listed a bunch of close games that Hader came in and delivered a scoreless performance...and that is your evidence that he isn't very valuable?

[And That]

Hader has the 4th highest WPA in the Brewers bullpen this year.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=rel&lg=all&qual=0&type=3&season=2017&month=0&season1=2017&ind=0&team=23&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&sort=12,d